‘The Industry At Large Benefits From Independent Thought & Experimentation’ Says Co-Founder of Dance Festival Elements
Categoria: Musica
The independent fest is happening this weekend in Long Pond, PA. Co-founder Brett Herman talks about Elements' growth and "infinite plan of upgrades."
Por Billboard | 07/08/2026
The 2026 edition of Elements festival is getting underway today (Aug. 7) at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Having started in 2013 as a one-day event in Brooklyn, Elements has over the years transformed into a sprawling three-day fest in the Pocono Mountains, with the event itself largely taking place in the woods behind the racetrack. While Elements is and always has been an independent festival, it’s got a lineup to compete with any major dance gathering. This year’s bill includes Charlotte de Witte, Chris Lake, Subtronics, Porter Robinson, Of the Trees, Above & Beyond, Cloonee, Excision and Azzeca, with organizers expecting a crowd of up to 40,000, up from the 33,000 hosted in 2025. The event is produced by its co-founders Brett Herman and Timothy Monkiewicz along with a core team of 20 and many more during the festival itself. With its whimsical vibes, Elements draws comparisons to other North American dance festivals Lightning in a Bottle, Electric Forest and Shambhala, and draws many of the same attendees as well. In their own ways, all four events take inspiration from Burning Man, an event Herman has attended 20 times — and, with the team, has consciously adopted pieces of. As such, the focus is on experiences, creativity and participation, with Elements hosting space for attendees to create their own immersive camps and installations and the general focus being as much on adventures in the woods as it is on music. But how does an independent festival survive and grow in one of the most competitive regions of the United States, with the current Elements site only 100 miles east from New York City. “It’s been a massive challenge,” says Herman says. “The pressures an independent festival faces are the same if not greater than any other business — dealing with inflation, rising fuel prices, increasing world instability. You have these rising fixed costs at one end, and at the other, people don’t have as much money; it’s as simple as that, so you have the candle burning at both ends.” And yet simultaneously, Elements 2026 is the biggest and most fully realized edition of the event so far, with Herman proclaiming that this year is “going to be better in every way.” 2026 boasts new Fire and Earth stages, with Air and Water seeing significant upgrades. There’s also “a ton” more art and experiences throughout the venue. “Something that’s key to the Elements spirit is to dream of doing it a bit bigger, crazier and weirder every year,” says Herman. Elements 2025 Julian Bajsel Elements’ success – its ability to draw big names and a big audience – was not assured. The event persevered through the pandemic with In My Elements, a 250-person retreat at a then undisclosed location where would-be attendees had to take two-part covid test to gain entry. In 2021, the fest experienced significant logistical issues, like reported 16-hour entry lines, as areas of the site flooded following Hurricane Ida. This situat